Is Creationism a Side Issue?

Even amongst Bible-believing Christians, not everyone embraces Biblical Creationism and Catastrophism, even though the plain meaning of the Bible expressly teaches a literal 6-day Creation and a world-wide flood.

There are a variety of reasons given for rejecting the plain meaning of Scripture in favor of views that accomodate long ages. Some bow before the consensus of uniformitarianism. We shall address the flaws of gradualism or uniformitarianism at some other time. Some take the word of well-known preachers and apologists or the recommendations of the footnotes in their Bibles. Of course, these learned men are not infallible and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible does not extend to commentaries and footnotes, no matter who writes them.

One of the more common objections, and the subject of this post, is that Creationism is just a side issue.

No pastor worth his salt and calling would want any undue controversy in their church. Nor would they want to waste the time and resources of their churches on a side issue, thereby diverting resources from the spread of the Gospel!

So it’s fair to ask if indeed Creation is a side issue.

Let me be perfectly clear. No Bible-believing minister will fail to affirm that the Bible expressly names God as the Creator. If yours does, de-frock him and suggest an alternate career immediately! This is not the issue we’re discussing. Rather it is the objection that God is the Creator, but the means and time frame by which He accomplished His Creation is really a minor issue, especially in comparison to the Gospel. At any rate, they will say that we ought to be about the business of the Gospel and not wasting our time quarreling about how God created the world. It is enough, they say, that we acknowledge Him as the Creator without getting into the specifics.

First, let me note that the plain teaching of Scripture is a literal 6-day Creation.

“If an old earth were really the teaching of Scripture, then one claim is glaringly conspicuous by its absence, that is, any claim in commentaries that the Bible unambiguously teaches long ages. Rather, the usual claim is that the biblical text appears on the surface to teach a young earth but may allow for an old earth. We never hear something like, ‘Yes, the decay of the earth’s magnetic field and rapid reversals seem to provide irrefutable proof of a young earth. But we mustn’t allow even the strongest science to overrule the clear teaching of the Word of God that the earth is billions of years old.’” –[Jonathan Sarfati, Refuting Compromise, pg 55.]

“It is apparent that the most straightforward understanding of the Genesis record, without regard to all the hermeneutical considerations suggested by science, is that God created heaven and earth in six solar days, that man was created on the sixth day, that death and chaos entered the world after the fall of Adam and Eve, and that all of the fossils were the result of the catastrophic universal deluge which spared only Noah’s family and the animals therewith.” [Pattle P.T. Pun, “A Theory of Progressive Creationism,” Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation (Vol. 39, March 1987), p. 14.]

It should be mentioned that the basis of the 4th commandment is a literal 6-day Creation followed by a Sabbath day of rest [Exodus 20:8-11]. Also, the claim that the Earth and universe are billions of years old and man’s existence represents only the tiniest tail-end of that history contradicts Christ Jesus’ affirmation that God created man, male and female, “from the beginning” [Matt 19:4; Mark 10:6]

Second, the claims of Creation and Evolution are mutually exclusive and, in fact, contradictory. Certainly, the evolutionists themselves have recognized this fact:

“…there is no escape from the fundamental contradiction between evolutionism and creationism. They are irreconcilable world views.” [Richard Lewontin, in Scientists Confront Creationism, L. R. Godfrey, Ed., W. W. Norton and Co., New York, p. XXVI]

Darwinism removed the whole idea of God as the creator of organisms from the sphere of rational discussion… we can dismissentirely all idea of a supernatural overriding mind being responsible for the evolutionary process. [Julian Huxley, in Issues in Evolution, Sol Tax, Ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1960, p.45]

Despite the attempts by liberal theology to disguise the point, the fact is that no biblically derived religion can really be compromised with the fundamental assertion of Darwinian theory. Chance and design are antithetical concepts. [Michael Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, (London: Burnett Books, Ltd., 1985), p. 66.]

“[Natural] selection is the blindest, and most cruel way of evolving new species, and more and more complex and refined organisms … The more cruel because it is a process of elimination, of destruction. The struggle for life and elimination of the weakest is a horrible process, against which our whole modern ethics revolts. An ideal society is a non-selective society, is one where the weak is protected; which is exactly the reverse of the so-called natural law. I am surprised that a Christian would defend the idea that this is the process which God more or less set up in order to have evolution’ (emphasis added). [Jacque Monod, “Secret of Life,” Transcript of a television interview with John Laurie on the Australian Broadcasting Co., June 10, 1976]

Evolutionism claims that life came about by blind chance. Creationism demands design. The claim that Man is the product of evolution, an endless cycle of death and mutation contradicts the Apostle Paul’s authority for he said “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” [1 Cor. 15:22] and that “wages [deserved earnings] of sin is death,” so that one teaches that Man is the result of death and so sin really has no consequences and therefore no need for a savior while the other teaches that death is the result of man’s sin. Which brings us to our next point…

Third, evolution undermines the foundational basis of the Gospel. Again, even atheists immediately recognize the problem:

“The most devastating thing though that biology did to Christianity was the discovery of biological evolution. Now that we know that Adam and Eve never were real people the central myth of Christianity is destroyed. If there never was an Adam and Eve th ere never was an original sin. If there never was an original sin there is no need of salvation. If there is no need of salvation there is no need of a Saviour. And I submit that puts Jesus, historical or otherwise, into the ranks of the unemployed. I think that evolution is absolutely the death knell of Christianity.” [Frank Zindler, debate with William Craig, Atheism vs Christianity video, Zondervan, 1996.]

“Christianity has fought, still fights, and will fight science to the desperate end over evolution, because evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus’ earthly life wassupposedly made necessary. Destroy Adam and Eve and the original sin, and in the rubble you will find the sorry remains of the son of God. If Jesus was not the redeemer who died for our sins, and this iswhat evolution means, then Christianity is nothing.” — G. Richard Bozarth, quoted from The American Atheist, September 1978, p. 30.

If the literal First Adam did not literally Fall there is no need for literal sin debt to be paid by a literal Savior. [1 Cor 15:45]

Lastly, the fruit of evolution is the rejection of religious truth.

Huston Smith comments on this trend:

“One reason education undoes religious belief is its teaching of evolution; Darwin’s own drift from orthodoxy to agnosticism was symptomatic. Martin Lings is probably right in saying that ‘more cases of loss of religious faith are to be traced to the theory of evolution… than anything else.’ (Studies in Comparative Religion, Winter 1970.) – quoted from Christian Century, July 7-14, 1982, p. 755.

Once they lost faith in the Beginning, they began to echo the Serpent’s question “Did God really say?” and then they began to doubt the rest, until it all seemed pointless. It is notable that statistics show that many young adults drift away from the faith, many never to return, and that liberal and mainline churches tend to lose large numbers this way. ReligiousTolerance.org reports that “Only between 10 and 12% of those identifying with the Congregational, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church denominations are between the ages of 18 and 29.” Keep in mind that these liberal and mainline denomoniations are the ones who have embraced evolutionism and teach it from their pulpits!

So is Creationism a side issue?

Consider our points in brief:

A literal 6-day Creation is the plain meaning of Scripture.

Evolution and Creationism are contradictory to one another.

Evolution undermines the foundational basis of the Gospel.

The fruit of evolution is demonstrated trend of falling away from the faith.

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Let’s make it simple. There are two groups of people: one group believes in Creationism but not Jesus. The other group believes in Jesus but not Creationism. Which group will ultimately enjoy the rewards of heaven? Which belief is not necessary for salvation? Will people who believe in both be saved because they believe in Creationism or because they believe in Jesus?

Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

It doesn’t say: “… that God created the world in six literal days, instituting marriage as between a husband and a wife, with the husband having authority over the wife and the wife having the duty to submit to her husband… ” etc. Creationism alone can’t save souls.

Wow. No one ever said that if you don’t believe in a 6-day Creation, you aren’t saved. While it’s not a salvation issue, your reductionist analogy ignores two things: [1] we are also taught to teach sound doctrine; the Gospel may be of the most importance but that doesn’t mean everything else is a side issue by default, and [2] you glossed over the fact that evolution is a stumbling block to the faith because it is antithetical to the revelation of Scripture. The reason evolution is a stumbling block is because it casts doubt upon the veracity of the very Scriptures that were mentioned in connection with Christ’s prophesied death and Resurrection. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, If I tell you of earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? By this principle, we can likewise ask, as many unsaved do, if you can’t trust the Bible when it speaks of our origins (Genesis 1 and 2) and why we need to be saved (Genesis 3), how can we trust it when it speaks of salvation and eternal consequences? It’s an authority issue.

So with all due respect, your presentation of this issue is oversimplified

Sound doctrine varies according to each denomination – one says this, the other says that. So the way I see it, no matter what you believe – someone out there somewhere also agrees that it’s sound doctrine.
I think you misunderstand the point of the stories in the scriptures, it’s not that they’re all completely factual accounts with names and dates and places to back up everything in it. Sometimes the idea of a story is more important than the actual events. If you want to believe that Josheb-Basshebeth killed eight hundred men with a spear in one encounter, that Eleazar held his ground alone until his hand grew weary and froze to his sword, that Shammah held his ground alone and struck down an enemy force that the rest of his people fled from – sure, but they seem to be more like fisherman’s tales to me. Why can’t the rest of the Bible have the same sort of treatment of historical accounts? Changing around the details to be more fantastic than reality permits? Why isn’t the woman’s first words recorded when she was presented to the man? What was her name before she was called Eve?
My favorite creation account is referred to in Psalm 74 and 89, God destroys this sea monster – Rahab – it’s similar to the Canaanite creation myths and that’s pretty cool.

Christianity agrees on more than it disagrees upon. Those of us who actually believe the Bible know what sound doctrine is. The Bible isn’t just a book of stories and nuggets of wisdom. It is the only authority that is supernaturally authenticated by fulfilled prophecy and the Resurrection of Christ.

I believe Biblical Creation is a key doctrine in believing the Bible. Creationism is not a side issue but a foundation issue. The very foundation of the Bible starts with the very first verse in Genesis chapter one: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Even Jesus said that how can you believe that He is Savior and not believe He is Creator! The Bible speaks of a six day creation. God is a Creationist and not an evolutionist. Not one time does the Bible indicate that God used evolution. To believe in the man-made humanistic philosophical doctrine of evolution undermines the faith in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and Christians must beware of this. (Colossians 2:8) Teaching evolution in our churches makes the Word of God of none effect (Mark 6). The Bible is our guidebook that God has given us who are saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). Creation was a supernatural event that is believed by faith. People who believe in naturalism cannot accept the fact that Creation was a real event. Evolutionists believe that the universe and Earth came about by random chance over billions of years. Churches in these last days have compromised with the evolution theory by believing in the Gap Theory, Day-Age Theory, Theistic evolution, and many other false doctrines to fit these long ages into the Bible. Pastors who teach this from their pulpits are leading their flock astray! Young adults are leaving churches and going with evolution whole-heartily because this has destroyed their faith in God. Jesus warned the church of Laodecea about the Creation account in Revelation chapter three that they were “lukewarm” about this and other things concerning the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Teaching evolution in these churches has made their faith lukewarm and Jesus is outside these churches knocking on their doors. Until they repent of this evil doctrine of evolution He will remain outside these churches.